On Saturday (April 8), Islamists took to social media to claim that the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) is conspiring to ‘entrap’ Muslim women in India.
The basis of the conspiracy theory was a fake letter, bearing the letterhead of the RSS, asking Hindu men to trick Muslim women into their love trap. Islamist handles posted copies of the letter en masse on Twitter with the hashtag ‘Bhagwa_Love_Trap.’
The fake letter outlined ways/ Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to build trust, ‘forge’ romantic relationships and establish physical connections with the intent to ‘convert Muslim women into Hinduism.’
?FAKE NEWS ALAERT – A group of fake handles including verified, are circulating forged letter of RSS (un-dated/no undersigned) having “SOP” of “trapping MusIim girls”. This is a highly communally charged & coordinated effort Cc @Uppolice@DelhiPolice@MIB_India@KanchanGupta 1/ pic.twitter.com/3NE0IQainz
The letter, falsely attributed to the RSS, also vowed to provide a 15-day training programme to help teach Hindus to entrap Muslim women. Despite being well aware that such dubious theories can lead to a law and order situation, Islamists continued to share the fake letter on social media.
Popular OSINT handle ‘The Hawk Eye’ pointed out that several verified Twitter handles were also peddling anti-Hindu propaganda.
According to the OSINT handle ‘D-Intent Data’, AIMIM supporter Shahavaj Anjum Siddiquee was the first to post the screenshots of the fake letter.
It also found discrepancies in the logo of the RSS, printed on the letter. “Upon research, we found an original statement of RSS on a news portal website, upon closely observing we found that logo is different than original,” the Twitter handle said.
“Also we visited RSS official website and other social media platforms, no such statement is available. Mainly, fake letter doesn’t contain any official stamp or signatory from RSS,” D-Intent Data emphasised. The OSINT handle sought the immediate intervention of the law enforcement authorities into the matter.
On the contrary, Islamists have been luring vulnerable Hindu women to Islam as part of their nefarious ‘grooming jihad‘ and now falsely accusing the Hindu community and the RSS of doing the same thing. Dozens of cases have been documented where Islamists have been found to target Hindu women under false identities.
Controversy has erupted around Buddhist spiritual leader Dalai Lama after a video went viral on social media in which he asked a young boy to “suck his tongue” after he kissed the kid on the lips. The netizens were furious and demanded action against Dalai Lama.
Disclaimer: the video below could be triggering.
So the Dalai Lama is kissing an Indian boy at a Buddhist event and even tries to touch his tongue.
In the video, the child leaned to pay his respect, but the spiritual leader patted a kiss on his lips. A few seconds later, he stuck his tongue out and pointed to his mouth, saying, “Can you suck my tongue”.
Reacting to the video, many netizens have called Dalai Lama’s behaviour ‘creepy’ and ‘disgusting’. Twitter user Sangita said, “Utterly shocked to see this display by the #DalaiLama. In the past, too, he’s had to apologise for his sexist comments. But saying – Now suck my tongue to a small boy, is disgusting.”
Utterly shocked to see this display by the #DalaiLama. In the past too, he’s had to apologize for his sexist comments. But saying – Now suck my tongue to a small boy is disgusting. pic.twitter.com/z2qMGignHO
Another Twitter user ElyiusThor said, “This is a disgusting, vile and shameful display by a religious leader. Had this been the action of a Catholic priest, it would have been all over the mainstream media, but because it’s by an exiled Dalai Lama, they will just sweep it under the carpet away from public view.”
This is a disgusting, vile and shameful display by a religious leader. Had this been the action of a Catholic priest, it would have been all over the mainstream media, but because it’s by an exiled Dalai Lama, they will just sweep it under the carpet away from public view. pic.twitter.com/jy2UXrHkUu
Dalai Lama has sparked controversies in the past as well. A few years ago, he said that if his successor was to be a woman, she would have to be an “attractive” one. Later, he had to apologise for the comment.
However, his followers and supporters are justifying it by saying he was “joking around” and there is a tradition to stick out their tongue in Tibet as a mark of respect. According to Berkeley University, “Sticking out one’s tongue is a sign of respect or agreement and was often used as a greeting in traditional Tibetan culture. According to Tibetan folklore, a cruel ninth-century Tibetan king had a black tongue, so people stick out their tongues to show that they are not like him (and aren’t his reincarnation).”
Elon Musk has sparked a row with the BBC after labelling the broadcaster as a “government-funded media” organisation, however, Britain’s national broadcaster was quick to push back against the categorization, reported CNN.
The label now appears on outlets that receive some government funding, including BBC, PBS, NPR and Voice of America. However, it does not appear on other government-backed outlets, such as Canada’s CBC or Qatar’s Al Jazeera. The @BBC account – which has 2.2 million followers – is currently branded as government funded. The label has not been given to the BBC’s other accounts, including BBC News (World) and BBC Breaking News, reported CNN.
Twitter has not given a definition for what it considers “government-funded media” to constitute.
In a statement provided to CNN, the BBC said, “We are speaking to Twitter to resolve this issue as soon as possible. The BBC is and always has been, independent. We are funded by the British public through the licence fee.”
BBC is predominantly funded by UK households via a license fee, which is also required to watch non-BBC channels or live services. This is supplemented by income from commercial operations.
BBC’s branding comes after a row erupted between Musk and the American NPR network after Musk changed NPR’s label to “state-affiliated media” – which effectively suggested the US government could influence its editorial policy and compare it to outlets such as the Kremlin-funded Russia Today.
Following backlash from NPR – who said it would not tweet from the account while the label was in place – it was instead changed to “government-funded media,” reported CNN.
The label from Twitter even sparked a backlash from the White House, with Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre saying “there’s no doubt of the independence of NPR’s journalists.”
NPR receives some funding from public institutions but the vast majority comes from sources such as corporate sponsorships and NPR membership fees.
Twitter defines state-affiliated media outlets as outlets “where the state exercises control over editorial content through financial resources, direct or indirect political pressures, and/or control over production and distribution.”
Critics of the move have pointed out that Twitter CEO Elon Musk’s other companies, Tesla and SpaceX, have received billions in government funding, grants and subsidies throughout the years, but neither of them has a “government-funded” label on their Twitter accounts, reported The Hill.
(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)
A six-member fact-finding team led by former Patna High Court Chief Justice Narasimha Reddy on Sunday alleged that West Bengal Police allowed the violence to go on during a Ram Navami Shobha Yatra (march) in the Hooghly district.
The interim report of the Fact-Finding Committee headed by Justice L Narsimha Reddy said that the “riots were pre-planned, orchestrated and instigated.”
Retired Patna High Court Justice L Narasimha Reddy said, “There was a concerted effort to attack the Ram Navami procession. The rally started peacefully. At certain localities, police deployment was there. Once the rioters started throwing stones, the police coolly walked away. At residential localities, rioters entered forcefully entered places and broke the glass windows of the residents of the particular section who were busy celebrating Ram Navami.”
While addressing the media, former Justice Narasimha Reddy further said, “We are not allowed to visit violence-hit areas. Even in areas where they have not implemented Section 144, we are not allowed to go. I think the police department knows that after visiting those places we will get to know what exactly happened there. We are not allowed to meet victims. No one from the police is answering our calls. We feel that police did not take any action in stopping the recent violence and allowed it to happen”. He further stated that police in West Bengal are acting like dictators in this incident.
“Recently in Telangana, a Member of Parliament was arrested. Afterwards, many people told me that Telangana Police was acting like West Bengal Police. The way police have treated us today shows that the comparisons were right. Police are acting like dictators and nowhere in the country, this kind of dictatorship can be witnessed. Police are busy promoting the agenda of one party”, he added.
Another member of the NHRC Fact-Finding team Charu Wali Khanna mentioned that the fact-finding team would restrategise to meet victims.
“They are afraid of us. We will restrategize our approach to meeting victims. Police officials are not giving us an appointment,” she told ANI.
In a similar incident, several vehicles were set on fire after two groups clashed amid Ram Navami celebrations. During the procession, the rioters vandalized public and private properties and set vehicles on fire.
In this regard, BJP MLA Biman Gosh had written to the Union Home Minister Amit Shah and West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose seeking their intervention and the deployment of central forces in West Bengal after the violence erupted in Hooghly during Ram Navami celebrations.
On Sunday, 9th April 2023, Maharashtra’s chief minister Eknath Shinde and deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis visited Ayodhya and took the darshan of Ramlala in the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Temple being constructed in Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh. Eknath Shinde and Devendra Fadnavis were also accompanied by all the MPs and MLAs of Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde Faction). Deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis shared the bird’s eye view of the under-construction temple as the leaders approached Ayodhya in a helicopter.
Devendra Fadnavis wrote, “This is how Prabhu Shri Ram Mandir construction work is going on in Ayodhya. Ariel view from a chopper on way to Ayodhya from Lucknow. ॥ Jai Shri Ram ॥”
In another tweet, Devendra Fadnavis shared a video of the road approaching the temple. He wrote, “The dream of the Hindus is getting fulfilled soon. A grand temple of Lord Shriram, the king of Ayodhya, is being built in the city of Ayodhya. My heart was filled with excitement after reaching this holy Ram Janmabhoomi site. Had darshan of Lord Shri Ramlala along with Chief Minister Eknathji Shinde, my cabinet colleagues, and friends from BJP-Shiv Sena. Say Siyavar Shriramchandra ki Jai!”
?सदियों से चली आ रही हिंदू मन की आशा जल्द ही पूरी हो रही है। अयोध्या नगरी में अयोध्या के राजा प्रभु श्रीराम का भव्य मंदिर बन रहा है। इस पवित्र राम जन्मभूमि स्थल पर पहुंचने के बाद मन उत्साह से भर उठा। मुख्यमंत्री एकनाथ जी शिंदे, मेरे कैबिनेट सहयोगियों और भाजपा-शिवसेना के मित्रों… pic.twitter.com/m8paPN30rf
In the next tweet, Fadnavis shared a closer view of the sanctum sanctorum of the temple. He wrote in its caption, “Goosebumps. That moment, when the dream came true and got Prabhu Shri Ram’s darshan at the divine Ram Janmabhoomi in Ayodhya.”
?Goosebumps. That moment, when the dream came true and got Prabhu Shri Ram’s darshan at the divine Ram Janmabhoomi in #Ayodhya. तो क्षण.. स्वप्नपूर्तीचा..! अद्भुत अनुभूतीचा ! प्रभू श्रीराम यांच्या जन्मभूमी येथे साक्षात दर्शनाचा..!#JaiShriRam#ayodhyadham#AyodhyaRamMandir… pic.twitter.com/4JhRtGYGTL
Devendra Fadnavis and Eknath Shinde also took a round of the whole temple site and observed the construction work. Devendra Fadnavis shared on his Twitter handle that the construction work of the grand temple in Ayodhya is going on in full swing.
?Goosebumps. That moment, when the dream came true and got Prabhu Shri Ram’s darshan at the divine Ram Janmabhoomi in #Ayodhya. तो क्षण.. स्वप्नपूर्तीचा..! अद्भुत अनुभूतीचा ! प्रभू श्रीराम यांच्या जन्मभूमी येथे साक्षात दर्शनाचा..!#JaiShriRam#ayodhyadham#AyodhyaRamMandir… pic.twitter.com/4JhRtGYGTL
The progress of the construction work of the grand temple of Lord Shri Ram was also shared by the official Twitter handle of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra. In a tweet dated 6th April 2023, the Twitter handle said, “The work to place beams above ground floor pillars at Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Mandir has started. Some beams have already been placed.” The photos of the work were also shared in this tweet.
श्री राम जन्मभूमि मन्दिर के भूतल के खम्बों के ऊपर बीम रखने का कार्य प्रारम्भ हो गया है। कुछ बीम रख भी दिये गये हैं।
The work to place beams above ground floor pillars at Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Mandir has started. Some beams have already been placed. pic.twitter.com/3jaxRJpvqM
— Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra (@ShriRamTeerth) April 6, 2023
In a short address to the devotees during this visit, Devendra Fadnavis thanked the people of Ayodhya and CM Yogi Adityanath for welcoming Marathi leaders to Ayodhya and giving them an opportunity of having Darshan. He thanked PM Narendra Modi and CM Yogi Adityanath for the construction of the temple. He said, “Only those who believe in Ram will rule the country. Those who will talk about Ram ji, only they will rule the country. In Maharashtra too, we now have a CM like Eknath Shinde who believes in Ram. Those who questioned the existence of Lord Ram Ji are sitting at their homes and those who believe in Ram Ji have made a government in Maharashtra now.”
राम को मानने वाले ही देश पर राज करेंगे। जो राम जी की बात करेंगे वो ही देश पे राज करेंगे। प्रभु श्री राम जी के इस भव्य मंदिर के निर्माण के लिए मा. प्रधानमंत्री नरेंद्र मोदी जी का और मा. मुख्यमंत्री @myogiadityanath जी का बहुत बहुत आभार व्यक्त करता हूँ! और आज अयोध्या नगरी में इतना… pic.twitter.com/E7S8ApZbRB
It is notable that on 5th January 2023, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said that the Ram Mandir being constructed in Ayodhya will be ready by 1st January 2024. He made this statement while addressing a rally in Tripura.
While addressing a rally in Sabroom in South Tripura, Amit Shah said, “Congress obstructed the construction of Ram temple in the courts. After the Supreme Court verdict, Modi Ji started the construction of the temple. PM Modi performed Bhoomipujan and started the construction of the temple.”
Flagging off @BJP4Tripura‘s ‘Jan Vishwas Yatra’ at Sabroom, Tripura.
Amit Shah added, “During the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, I was the president of the BJP and Rahul Baba was the president of the Congress. He used to ask every day – the date of construction of the temple there will never be told. So Rahul baba, open your ears and listen, on January 1, 2024, you will have the grand Ram temple in Ayodhya ready.”
The construction work of Lord Shri Ram’s temple in Ayodhya is going on at a rapid pace. Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone of the Ram temple on August 5, 2020, and it is expected to be completed within 2023.
A day after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi posted a tweet linking five former Congress leaders, including Ghulam Nabi Azad, with Gautam Adani, the former Congress veteran hit back at Gandhi today. Azad said that he does not have any links with any businesses man, but the Congress family has links with many businessmen.
Ghulam Nabi Azad then alleged that during his visits to foreign countries, Rahul Gandhi meets undesirable businessmen. While asked about the tweet by Rahul Gandhi in an interview with Asianet, Azad said, “It is shameful that Rahul Gandhi is saying this. Their entire family has, all along, had an association with businessmen. That includes him (Rahul Gandhi). I have a great respect for the family. I can give you ten examples of where he would go and meet, even outside the country, to meet people who are undesirable businessmen.”
It is notable that Rahul Gandhi on 8th April posted a graphic mixing the Adani with five former Congress leaders, Ghulam Nabi Azad, Jyotiraditya Scindia, Kiran Kumar Reddy, Himanta Biswa Sarma and Anil Antony, insinuating that the former Congress leaders may have invested in the Adani Group. Except for Azad, the rest four are in BJP. In the graphic, featuring the logo of the Adani group, each letter in the word Adani is used to form the name of the five former Congress leaders.
Himanta Biswa Sarma has already said that he will file a defamation case against Rahul Gandhi for the tweet.
BJP used the comments made by Azad to target Rahul Gandhi and asked him to explain who are these businessmen that he meets during his visits to other countries. “Rahul Gandhi must explain who are these businessmen he meets and for what purpose?”, the party posted from its official Twitter handle quoting the statement made by Ghulam Nabi Azad.
…their entire family (the Gandhis) have all along had association with businessmen, including him (Rahul Gandhi). He (Rahul) goes abroad and meets undesirable businessmen…
– Ghulam Nabi Azad
Rahul Gandhi must explain who are these businessmen he meets and for what purpose? pic.twitter.com/2juk0GlvhW
Talking about other matters, Ghulam Nabi Azad said that he does not agree that Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra benefited the Congress party. “Lots of people say that Rahul Gandhi’s clout has increased after the Bharat Jodo Yatra. I was also under that impression like many in the country. But during the past 10 days, I realised he has zero clout,” Azad said.
“In 1978, Mrs Gandhi was disqualified and jailed. Within a few hours, more than one lakh people went to jail. Ten lakh people were waiting outside the jail because there was no space in the jail. Ten thousand people accompanied me and took a protest march to Parliament. I was in Tihar Jail for about a month.
Now, Rahul Gandhi, immediately after the Bharat Jodo Yatra, is disqualified and jailed, not even a mosquito has cried or come onto the road. He had to go to Surat court accompanied by working committee members from Delhi, MPs from Delhi and MLAs from Gujarat. Not a single youth or farmer from Gujarat joined,” he added.
Azad said that the party is going down the drain because of some half a dozen people. “. I don’t feel very happy to see the Congress go down the drain because of the folly of some half-a-dozen people who are not interested in the future of the party; they are only interested in their own projection in the media and public,” he said.
Talking about exodus of young Congress leaders to others parties like BJP, he said that younger generation is ten times more frustrated with the leadership than the elders like him. “Most of those who left were part of Rahul Gandhi’s team. They left because of the lack of leadership and direction from Rahul Gandhi,” Azad said.
He also said that BJP has become the only national party in India because of the Congress leadership. “They have sat like ducks and not doing anything. Rather, they have been doing things that will help the BJP. It is the present leadership of the Congress that s promoting the BJP,” he said.
An idol of Bajrang Bali was vandalised by an unknown miscreant in Damoh, Madhya Pradesh. After this incident, anger and tension prevailed among the villagers. Local residents have termed the act as a conspiracy to incite religious sentiments. A complaint has been lodged with the police. The police have launched an investigation. The incident took place on Saturday, April 8, 2023.
According to reports, the incident took place in the Patera police station area of Damoh. A public temple is built here on the farm of Sanjay Paliwal, a resident of Pipariya Sahni village. The people living in the surrounding villages have faith in this temple. The idol of Bajrang Bali is also installed in this temple along with other deities. The villagers worship here every morning. On Saturday morning, when Raj Kishore Rajput of the same village went to worship in the temple, he found the Hanuman idol in a broken condition.
Soon the news spread in and around the village. People reached the temple and started expressing their anger over the incident. When the matter was reported to the police, they also reached the spot. Police tried to calm the people, but the villagers were searching for the accused and demanding strict action against him. Meanwhile, a tribal man living near the temple also confirmed that there was some movement in the temple at night. People have described this as an act of inciting religious sentiments.
The micreant has vandalised the idol of Bajrang Bali in the face. A written complaint has been given to the police. An FIR has been lodged against an unidentified person. The police have started an investigation and have assured to arrest the accused soon.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma today said in Guwahati that a defamation case will be registered against Rahul Gandhi in Guwahati over his recent tweet linking the Assam CM with Gautam Adani. Sarma said that what Rahul Gandhi tweeted is definitely defamatory. However, he said that the case will be filed after 14th April, as the state govt is busy with several programs planned on that day with the presence of prime minister Narendra Modi.
“Whatever Rahul Gandhi has tweeted, it is a defamatory tweet, so once prime minister goes back from Assam, we will respond to the tweet, and definitely there will be a defamation case in Guwahati,” Himanta Biswa Sarma said.
“But not now, I don’t want to talk about politics because we want to celebrate Bihu. As after 14 April, that will be there,” he added.
The Assam CM further said, “and I am still waiting for the invitation from Kejriwal. Because I want to demystify how 12 lakh employment is possible where sanctioned staff in Delhi govt is only 1.5 lakh. So I want to ask him that question.”
Himanta Biswa Sarma also mocked Arvind Kejriwal’s claim that there are 50 lakh unemployed youths in Assam, saying that he mentions the same figure in every state. He said that Assam has 12 lakh unemployed youths, and given the population of the state, the number can’t be 50 lakh. ‘He does not know that he has to change the number according to the state’, the Assam CM said. He further questioned the journalists for not questioning the wrong numbers quoted by Kejriwal.
Kejriwal had said in Guwahati last Sunday, “There is so much unemployment in Assam, educated youths are roaming around and crying for jobs. Himanta Biswa Sarma promised he will remove unemployment. How many jobs has he provided? The government says there are 25 lakh unemployed persons but the number will be about 50 lakh.”
When he was asked about a postering drive taken out by AAP in Guwahati, Assam CM said, ‘I didn’t even know that such a party exists in Assam’. He said that anyone can put up posters, but a party can be taken seriously only after election results. He said that for now, AAP in Assam is only a concern for media, and it has not become a concern for him.
It is notable that Rahul Gandhi on 8th April posted a graphic mixing the Adani with five former Congress leaders, Ghulam Nabi Azad, Jyotiraditya Scindia, Kiran Kumar Reddy, Himanta Biswa Sarma and Anil Antony, insinuating that the former Congress leaders may have invested in the Adani Group. Except for Azad, the rest four are in BJP. In the graphic, featuring the logo of the Adani group, each letter in the word Adani is used to form the name of the five former Congress leaders. “They want to hide the truth and therefore misguide you every day. The question is the same – Who has poured ₹20,000 crore illegal funds into Adani’s companies,” Gandhi had written in the tweet.
Himanta Biswa Sarma made the comments while addressing a press conference to inform about the programs to be held on 14th April and various projects to be unveiled by PM Modi. The AIIMS Guwahati will be inaugurated by the prime minister on that day. Then he will launch a medical engineering project to be taken by a hospital to be built by IIT Guwahati and Assam government. He said that the hospital will work on developing indigenous medical engineering solutions.
The prime minister will also virtually inaugurate three new medical colleges in Assam which have been approved by the National Medical Commission. These three new medical colleges are Nalbari Medical College & Hospital, Nagaon Medical College & Hospital and Kokrajhar Medical College & Hospital.
The PM will also attend the conclusion program of the platinum jubilee celebration of Gauhati high court. “He will then inaugurate the newly installed Assam Petro Chemicals Limited 500 project TPD Methanol at Namrup, costing Rs 1,709 crores. He will lay the foundation stone of another bridge connecting Palasbari and Sualkuchi on the Brahmaputra river, costing Rs 3,170 crore,” the CM said.
The main attraction of the PM’s visit will be a Bihu dance performance by over 11,000 boys and girls at Sarusajai Stadium. The performance by dancers and drummers is expected to occupy a place at the Guinness World Records. 11,140 performers, including 7000 girls to dance and over 4000 boys to play various bihu instruments, are practicing for the event for a month at every district in the state for the 15-minute dance. Dry runs for the performance will be held from 11th to 13th. Assam Govt paid Rs 10,500 to cover the cost of a standardised attire, other accessories and travel to Guwahati, while the govt is paying for their lodging and food in the city.
Tensions between China and Taiwan have escalated as China on Saturday, April 8, started its military drills around Taiwan. China called it a ‘stern warning’ to the Taiwanese government after Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen returned from a trip to the United States.
Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen met US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy during her visit to the USA. On Sunday, April 9, Taiwan’s Defence Ministry reiterated that it will “fight to defend and protect the home together”. This response comes after multiple Chinese aircraft were detected encircling Taiwan.
On Sunday, during the second day of the military drill, the Chinese army simulated precision strikes against Taiwan. Amidst China’s military drill, the Taiwanese Defence Ministry stated on Twitter, “#Taiwan is our homeland, and no matter where we go or what we encounter, she is always charming and beautiful. Every story on this land is etched in our memories. We, the #ROCArmedForces, are fighting with all our heart to defend our homeland and to protect our home together.”
#Taiwan is our homeland, and no matter where we go or what we encounter, she is always charming and beautiful. Every story on this land is etched in our memories. We, #ROCArmedForces, are fighting with all our heart to defend our homeland and to protect our home together. pic.twitter.com/oI2eply6N6
— 國防部 Ministry of National Defense, R.O.C. ?? (@MoNDefense) April 9, 2023
Earlier in the day, Taiwan tracked 71 Chinese military aircraft and 9 naval ships around Taiwan till around 6 AM.
“71 PLA aircraft and 9 PLAN vessels around Taiwan were detected by 6 a.m.(UTC+8) today. R.O.C. Armed Forces have monitored the situation and tasked CAP aircraft, Navy vessels, and land-based missile systems to respond to these activities,” Taiwan’s Defense Ministry tweeted.
71 PLA aircraft and 9 PLAN vessels around Taiwan were detected by 6 a.m.(UTC+8) today. R.O.C. Armed Forces have monitored the situation and tasked CAP aircraft, Navy vessels, and land-based missile systems to respond these activities. pic.twitter.com/oZbmPZcDib
— 國防部 Ministry of National Defense, R.O.C. ?? (@MoNDefense) April 9, 2023
It was further informed that 45 of the detected aircraft crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait and entered Taiwan’s southwest Air Defence Identification Zone (ADIZ).
“45 of the detected aircraft (SU-30*8, J-11*4, J-10*16, J-16*10, TB-001 UCAV, Y-9EW, Y-8 ASW, H-6K*2, Y-20, KJ-500) had crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait and entered Taiwan’s southwest ADIZ, flight paths as illustrated,” Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense tweeted.
45 of the detected aircraft(SU-30*8, J-11*4, J-10*16, J-16*10, TB-001 UCAV, Y-9EW, Y-8 ASW, H-6K*2, Y-20, KJ-500) had crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait and entered Taiwan’s southwest ADIZ, flight paths as illustrated.
— 國防部 Ministry of National Defense, R.O.C. ?? (@MoNDefense) April 9, 2023
Later in the day, Taiwan’s Ministry of Defence informed about detecting 70 Chinese military aircraft and 11 naval vessels adding that 35 of these aircraft violated the northern, central, and southern median line of the Taiwan Strait as they entered the southwest ADIZ demarcated by Taiwan.
“70 PLA aircraft and 11 vessels were detected by 16:00(UTC+8) April 9th. 35 of the detected aircraft had crossed the northern, central, and southern median line of the Taiwan Strait and entered our southwest ADIZ,” a tweet by Taiwan’s Defence Ministry read.
70 PLA aircraft and 11 vessels were detected by 16:00(UTC+8) April 9th. 35 of the detected aircraft had crossed northern, central, and southern median line of the Taiwan Strait and entered our southwest ADIZ. pic.twitter.com/PitgcyfjPI
— 國防部 Ministry of National Defense, R.O.C. ?? (@MoNDefense) April 9, 2023
China’s incursions into Taiwan’s airspace doubled in 2022
In January this year, it was reported that the number of Chinese warplane incursions into Taiwan’s ADIZ nearly doubled in 2022.
The number of sorties by fighter aircraft more than doubled from 538 in 2021 to 1,241 last year, while the number of bomber incursions—including those by the nuclear-capable H6—rose from 60 to 101. However, the military reported 71 drone incursions in the past year, all of which occurred after Nancy Pelosi’s visit. In reaction to Pelosi’s Taiwan visit in August last year, China not only fired 11 ballistic missiles into waters near the northern, southern, and eastern coasts of Taiwan but also imposed sanctions on Nancy Pelosi and her immediate family members.
De-facto US Embassy in Taiwan condemns China’s military drills
According to the de facto US embassy in Taiwan, the US is “comfortable and confident” that it has the necessary resources and capacity to maintain peace and stability in the region and is closely monitoring China’s maneuvers surrounding Taiwan.
According to a representative of the American Institute in Taiwan, which acts as an embassy in the absence of official diplomatic connections, the US channels of communication with China are still open and the US has continuously encouraged restraint and no change to the status quo.
Taiwan Relations Act
In 1979, the United States declared that preserving and promoting friendly, commercial, cultural among other ties between the people of Taiwan and the US would be a policy of the country.
“The United States shall provide Taiwan with arms of a defensive character and shall maintain the capacity of the United States to resist any resort to force or other forms of coercion that would jeopardize the security, or social or economic system, of the people of Taiwan,” the Act reads.
Air Defence Identification Zone
An Air Defence Identification Zone (ADIZ) encompasses the area of airspace outside of a nation’s sovereign territory where, in order to safeguard a nation’s security, aircraft must be identified, located, and put under air traffic control. Many countries, including Canada, South Korea, China, Japan, and Taiwan, have demarcated ADIZs with the United States being the first country to do so in 1950 during the Cold War.
Interestingly, India has also demarcated ADIZs near its territory. Controlled by the Indian Air Force, the Indian AIDZs are along the international borders with Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar, over the Line of Actual Control with China, and two in the southern region of India.
Median Line between China and Taiwan
To understand what the Median Line is, it is important to know about the Taiwan Strait. Taiwan Strait connects the South China Sea to the East China Sea in the southwest. It serves as a vital passageway bridging the East China Sea and the South China Sea. The Taiwan Strait’s median line serves as an unofficial border between Taiwan and the Chinese mainland. The line crosses the middle of the Taiwan Strait and travels from a region close to the southern islands of Japan to a region in the southwest, close to Hong Kong.
Median Line in the Taiwan Strait (Image via CNA)
Notably, in September last year, claiming that Taiwan is an inalienable part of China, the Chinese Foreign Ministry denied the existence of the Median Line.
Kolkata Knight Riders’ Rinku Singh’s five consecutive sixes in the last over took the win away from Gujarat Titans at Narendra Modi Stadium on Sunday. Despite taking the first IPL 2023 hat-trick from Rashid Khan, Rinku Singh’s last over performance overshadowed the match.
Gujarat’s Venkatesh Iyer had played a brilliant knock 83 in 40 balls which brought Kolkata closer to the chase.
Put to chase, Kolkata’s first wicket went early in the 3rd over as Mohammed Shami sent Rahmanullah Gurbaz back to the pavilion who was batting at 15 in 12 balls. Irish bowler Joshua Little hit another blow to Kolkata by getting the wicket of Narayan Jagadeesan at 6 balls in 8 balls in 3.6 overs.
Struggling after losing two early wickets, KKR had put 43 runs on the board with Venkatesh Iyer batting at 18 in 13 balls and Nitish Rana at 3 in 3 balls after the end of the Powerplay.
At the end of 9 overs, Venkatesh and Nitish contributed fifty-run partnerships for Kolkata to come closer to a massive run chase. KKR was at 86/2 in 10 overs with Venkatesh at 39 in 22 balls and Nitish at 25 in 18 balls.
Batting strongly in the middle, Ventakesh reached to his fifty-hitting boundary in 26 balls. The duo of Ventakesh and Nitish accelerated their gears in the 12th and 13th over where Rashid Khan and Yash Dayal went expensive with 13 and 17 runs respectively.
Just after the impressive 100-run partnership of the duo, Gujarat made the comeback in the match when Little sent back Nitish, who was looking good scoring 45 in 29 balls.
Venkatesh went full out against Little in the 16th over as he hit one six and two four. Little went for 17 runs turning the table in Kolkata’s favour. Kolkata reached to 150-run mark reached in 15.2 overs.
In the 15.5 over, Gujarat got the valuable breakthrough of Venkatesh by Alzarri Joseph. Ventakesh scored a brilliant knock of 83 in 40 balls.
GT stand-in skipper Rashid Khan, with his exceptional bowling, took the first hat-trick of the IPL 2023 hitting Andre Russell, Sunil Narine and Shardul Thakur respectively. He firmed the position of the Titans in the game.
Rinku Singh by hitting five consecutive sixes did unprecedentedly and chased down the massive total put by the Gujarat Titans. Yash Dayal gave away the game by being hit for 31 runs in the last over.
Earlier, with an explosive batting by Vijay Shankar at the death over, after Sudharsan set the platform, Gujarat Titans posted a total of 204/4 against Kolkata Knight Riders.
After winning the toss, Gujarat Titans chose to bat where Wriddhiman Saha and Shubman Gill opened the innings.
The openers started steadily against the Kolkata pacers; however, when spinner Sunil Narine was introduced in fourth over of the match, Kolkata took their first wicket as Saha who was dismissed for 17 in 17 balls to a brilliant diving catch from N Jagadeesan. GT was 33/1 in 4.2 overs. Gujarat Titans got to their 50 runs mark in just 5.1 overs.
After the powerplay, Gill was standing strong in the middles with 20 in 14 balls and he was partnered by Sai Sudharsan with five in five balls. GT was at 54/1 in 6 overs.
Duo of Sudharsan and Gill brought up the fifty-run partnership in just 30 balls. GT was at 88/1 after 10 overs; Gill at 36 in 27 balls and Sudharsan at 22 in 16 balls.
Just after GT reached to their 100-run mark in 11.3 overs, Gill’s innings came to an end with Narine’s second wicket in 11.4 overs when Umesh Yadav caught him at long-on. GT opener was in 39 in 31 balls consisting four boundaries. GT was 100/2 after 11.4 overs.
The 12th over started with a four against Umesh by Abhinav Manohar and to continue the rhythm, he hit two more boundaries in the next 2 balls.
Giving another blow to Gujarat’s batting, youngster Suyash Sharma bowled out Abhinav with a cracking googly in his second over. Abhinav was at 14 in 8 balls consisting of 4 fours. Whereas, GT was at 118/3 after 13.3 over.
After 15 overs, Gujarat scored 132/3 with Vijay Shankar and Sudharsan batting on the crease. Sudharsan was batting at 46 in 31 balls and Shankar was batting at 2 in 3 balls.
Gujarat’s in-from batter Sudharsan clinched his second half-century of the IPL 2023 in 34 balls in 16.2 overs. With Sudharsan’s single in 16.4, Gujarat got to their 150 runs mark. Taking his three-wicket haul, Narine got the wicket of Sudharsan in 17.3 overs. Sudharsan performed phenomenally well scoring 53 in 38 balls bringing Titans to 153/ 4 balls.
Taking advantage of the platform set by the top batters, Shankar accelerated in the last second of the match punishing Ferguson for expensive 25 runs where he was hit by two sixes and two fours and one no ball.
With explosive batting, Shankar reached his fifty in just 21 balls with a six. And after the half-century, he hit two sixes in the next consecutive balls, making a hat-trick of sixes.
Gujarat ended their innings at 204/4 with the help of Shankar’s unbeaten 63 in 24 balls and David Miller’s unbeaten two runs in 3 balls.
